Pandemic Response

Posts Tagged ‘pig flu’

One of the reasons that there’s so much confusion around the pig flu is because it’s symptoms are too similar to the common flu you get. You don’t necessarily have the pig flu each time you have a painful throat, stuffy nose and also have a fever. But at the same time, when you do have these symptoms, you never want to pass them off as only being the flu either.

Typical Signs And Symptoms

The principal symptoms to look for are a high fever, a headache, a little fatigue and nasal secretions. This really is exactly why it is a problem. The typical flu you get a couple of times a year have the same specific indicators.

When left untreated, the pig flu will often lead to pneumonia and respiratory infections that may cause severe breathing difficulties, lung damage, organ failure and death. You can’t depend on antibiotics to deal with any type of flu. But, a standard situation is that you’ll find numerous secondary infections that develop. These types of infections must be treated with antibiotics.

Protecting Yourself From the Pig Flu

The most effective method to protect yourself from the virus is by being preventative. There’s a vaccination for the pig flu that most people need to get but there are also preventative measures you will need to take beyond the vaccination because immunization is not a guarantee.

Regular individual hygiene is a most practical way of prevention. You have likely always been told since you were young to clean your hands often and this is exactly why. The simplest way to protect your overall health is by hand washing. If you contact anything that someone else has who happens to be infected, you now have the virus to deal with. You allow the virus to get into your system by simply touching your mouth, wiping an eye, etc. Because it’s so simple to get these germs it’s crucial that you scrub your hands or use a great hand sanitizer. You should also teach kids to do this. Sanitize shared items before you use them and whenever feasible, avoid crowded areas especially if you know there have been cases of the pig flu lately.

Treatment

The 2 most popular forms of treatment are drugs called Relenza and Tamiflu. These types of medications must be started within the very first 2 days after you were infected with the virus. Medical professionals occasionally will still use these medications in a hospital setting for people despite the fact that they’re past the two day window. You shouldn’t do this at home.

If you are interested in knowing more, please click on Influenza in Australia Click here for more information on Symptoms of a Cold